Part 4 of Trust-Based Philanthropy in 4D: Cultivating Trust-Based Leadership

When we started our trust-based philanthropy journey, we gathered to learn about how we can support a healthier nonprofit sector with grantmaking practices that worked for systemic equity, redistributed power, centered relationships and accountability, and embraced learning and collaboration.

Then, we deep dived to explore strategies for identifying and undoing cultural barriers to trust and equity. Last month, we examined our organization’s structures through a trust-based lens. (Watch the recordings here.)

In the final installment of Trust-Based Philanthropy in 4D, we will learn about the key role an organization’s leadership team plays in upholding and reinforcing trust-based values and culture. Trust-based philanthropy is most successful when there is buy-in and modeling from leadership. Leaders strive to be collaborative and facilitative, focused on uplifting the whole team and building trust internally rather than consolidating power and influence at the trustee level. Most importantly, they lead by embodying values of humility, equity, and transparency — with a willingness to give up some of their power in service of the organization's greater purpose.

So, what does this tangibly mean for leaders in various roles within an organization? We will hear from practitioners who have embraced self-reflective practices to cultivate their own trust-based leadership, as well as what they’re doing to reimagine their roles and their trustees’ roles toward advancing a more intentional trust-based culture within their organizations.

Participants can expect to walk away with a clearer understanding of what it means to be a trust-based leader; tools for taking a coaching stance to uplift, guide, and support teams; and strategies for reimagining board leadership to support your organization’s big-picture vision for trust-based philanthropy.

This learning series is co-sponsored by Environmental Grantmakers Association, Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems Funders, and Blue Sky Funders Forum.